Review: “Treasure Hunt Bookshelf” by Aimee Stewart — Sunsout, 9/10

AIMEE STEWART WEEK:

This week here on Jigsaw Junkies, we’re featuring puzzle artist Aimee Stewart. I’ll be reviewing two of her puzzles this week and this weekend we’ll have an exclusive interview!

TREASURE HUNT BOOKSHELF REVIEW:

Box Quality: (8/10)

The Sunsout boxes are very large and square in shape. They’re oversized compared to most boxes on the market. This takes up more shelf space but also provides a nice big image when you use the box lid for reference. I really like the fact that Aimee Stewart’s name is prominent on the front.

Sides:

Three of the sides are the same, showing a tiny image of the puzzle, puzzle name, artist name, piece count, finished size, and Sunsout logo. The fourth side has a bar code. Unfortunately, the year of manufacture isn’t given. “Treasure Hunt Bookshelf” seems to have been released in 2015 based on reviews online.

Back:

The back of the box is plain white and made of a thinner cardboard which is easily damaged in storage.

Inside:

Nothing comes inside the Sunsout box except the bag of puzzle pieces and a very small paper slip with the company url and a short blurb. There was a good 1/8 cup of puzzle dust. The pieces were fully separated and undamaged.

The final box score is 8.

The Image: 10/10

We’re featuring Aimee Stewart this week because I love her images and they make for fun puzzles. This image is part of an image previously published by Ravensburger in Europe (“Fairytale Fantasia”). I like the closer view on this Sunsout edition because all the elements are a little larger and easier to see and enjoy.

The image is a fantasy scene based on bookshelves. Aimee Stewart has published a number of bookshelf themed puzzles, which I’ll talk about in her interview and gallery this weekend. In this image we have a number of fantasy vignettes among the books, as if the books’ worlds are coming to life. There’s a unicorn and castle, a treasure chest, two lovely dancers, a garden scene, Aladdin’s lamp, and more.

The image has very pretty rainbow colors, which helps a great deal during assembly. The art has a soft, digital painting look . I particularly like the figure of the girl in the dress.

I’ve rated this image a perfect 10. It’s very pretty, well-executed, and ideally suited for puzzling. I also love the book theme conceptually.

This puzzle from 2015 is no exception to the strong quality of the brand. The pieces are sturdy and very random in cut. In size they range from slightly above average (eg. Ravensburger size) to smaller in size because of the great variety of piece shapes, as you can see in the close-up below.

I like working with the more interesting cut of a puzzle like Sunsout and with their thick pieces. There is a glossy finish, which can lead to glare under overhead lights at night. I didn’t have too much trouble with that in this puzzle though, because the colors are quite bright.

The image reproduction is good overall, though it feels like this image might have been enlarged a bit. Some objects are crisper than others, but the colors are wonderful. There’s no confusion about whether a piece fits or not. This is just a very pleasurable brand to work with. The quality score is ‘9’.

Assembly: (9/10)

This puzzle is easy-to-moderate in challenge, and it took me two long evenings to complete.

DAY ONE:

I assembled the border first and then the blues– the blue sky and smoke at the top and the blue area around the unicorn/castle. The girl’s dress and the white book in the lower right are also easy elements to identify in the sorting trays and put together.

The smoke has various shades within it from violent to grape and blue. There’s also a nice ‘wooden frame’ or bookshelf surround at the top and bottom of the puzzle.

The girl’s dress is a unique texture and is made easier by the blue ribbon and blue dots on the bodice.

DAY TWO:

In my second session, I finished the puzzle. There aren’t too many truly dark areas in the puzzle, and the rainbow colors on the books make assembly pretty straightforward and fun from start to finish.

There are lots of little doodads around the books, like the green vase below and the bubble. You may want to refer to the box lid to figure out where these elements go.

There’s blue and green and red all over the image really, but it’s easy to distinguish the red “book” textures from the red object textures, such as the curtain below. Also, the book spines often have titles written on them, which also helps place them in the scene.

I love the small details such as the Snow White figure next to the “Snow White” book and then next to her is a large bitten apple.

Next to the “Arabian Nights” book is Aladdin’s lamp and what looks like a cave.

I’ve given this puzzle a 9 for assembly. It was easy and enjoyable and there was lots to discover in the image as you pieced sections together. Almost like a real treasure hunt. 😉

Summary:

You’ll find lots of interesting details in this puzzle as you “treasure hunt” among the books. The fantasy image by Aimee Stewart features a rainbow of brightly-hued books and interesting elements arranged among them, such as dancers, jewels, notes, and Aladdin’s lamp. The puzzle is easy-to-moderate to assemble with many bright and distinct colors. The Sunsout quality is very good with thick pieces and a fun random cut with a wide variety of piece shapes. The fit is fairly tight so you can move groups of assembled pieces around with care. The final puzzle is frame-worthy. Recommended.